Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I've read many books about the climate crisis facing our planet. I liked this book because there wasn't a lot of jargon and provides an outline of what is happening.

I think this book would be a good 'starter' book for anyone interested in learning about what the climate crisis.

'How Are We Going to Explain This?' is a short but effective overview of the current climate crisis - from its (very) early beginnings through to present and future problem.

Mommers manages to convey the key points without heavy use of jargon, making this an ideal book for any readers interested in learning the basics. The statistics are plentiful but not overpowering, and there's a good balance between reasons to dispair and reasons to hope.

Due its brevity, How Are We... only gives a wide-lens look at climate change and its causes, and therefore readers more seasoned in the ins and outs of global warming may not find much new information here. The book ocassionally lacked focus, perhaps due to its scope. this was most notable for me in the inclusion of a chapter on the inherent goodness of people - this could have been a paragraph and a reference (Rutger Bregman's 'Humankind' would be a worthy read in this respect).

The call to action for individuals was supported by useful suggestions, although some seemed not as realistic as others. Meanwhile, the laying bare of the 'sins' of large corporations was truly impactful, especially the coverage of oil companies and their perspectives on climate change.

A good book to provide an introduction to a critically important topic, and therefore one I'd recommend to anyone with an interest.

A very readable book about climate change, taking approaches to explain difficult concepts that I've not seen in ang other environmental non-fiction. I also really appreciated the discussions on Coronavirus as it relates to the climate catastrophe. Overall, A great guide for a beginner without being too pessimistic.

This was the first book on this subject I've read. My experience so far was limited to columns about global warming and inefficiency with which politicians and humans in general handle the issue. It appears to me we are losing this battle. However, while reading this book, I started to see there are many facets to our existence, and maybe not all is already lost.

It was at times difficult to follow numbers, but estimates are there anyway just to get the point across. I was the most attentive in the chapters tackling what I personally can do, and it was quite illuminating to find out there are actually some things I really can do, even though I am just one individual among many. Mommers never says it would be easy, both financially and psychologically, but encourages us in taking his well-grounded advice step by step.

I liked also the recommended literature at the end of the book. After such thought-provoking reading, it is impossible not to be enticed to read and know more about such a disturbing and important subject. Thanks to the NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book in advance in exchange for my honest review.

A brilliant book which I really enjoyed and a useful book to read in these difficult times!.

Definitely worth reading if you are interested in climate change

I'm not surprised that this book has already been popular in the Netherlands. As "introductions-to-climate-change-and-what-we-need-to-do" go, this is a good one - the writing is accessible and engaging, with a variety of facts to hit the reader hard whether it's the environment or humanity's own future they worry about more. In a way (in a good way) I would call it "Naomi Klein-lite" - it reminded me strongly of Klein's incredible 'This Changes Everything', but of course, Mommers' book is shorter. And that matters in terms of reaching as many people as possible. I just hope this book is picked up by people who need to pick it up, rather than those who already have a good grasp of what kind of future humanity faces if we don't change our selfish ways.

I do have some criticisms of the book, and if I could give half stars I might have given 3.5 instead of 4 (possibly even 3 stars, but I think the importance of this book as an educational tool justifies giving it 4).
1) Mommers brushes aside the question of whether the planet can and should have to support the 12 billion people estimated to be alive at the end of this century. The citation provided for this startling claim was not at all satisfactory and given that Mommers chooses not to suggest that affluent people limit their families to two children or fewer, I would have expected to see much more content explaining why this is the case, given the responsibility that Mommers has placed on himself to encourage people to live more sustainably. Instead we get just a throw-away line telling us not to worry. I would contend that realistically, if we want a future with reduced human suffering AND reduced non-human suffering, most countries need to be much more proactive about keeping families small. "Educating women reduces the birthrate" is true, but it doesn't happen instantly. There are still millions and millions of women with an unmet need for family planning, and honestly, the planet needs us to act faster.
2) Related to the above point, Mommers completely ignores or has not considered the problem of a capitalist society dependent on consumerism, more consumers being born, and more people being born to provide cheap labour. A sustainable human future does not have room for modern day problems like the fashion industry, and yet, this particular industry sustains the livelihoods of millions of people in countries like India. More people = more jobs needed = more consumption needed = more planetary resources needed. I'm not convinced that revolutions in renewable energy and agriculture will fill all the employment gaps.
3) Mommers is updating his book to include examples of state and societal responses to COVID-19 which back up his arguments. One or two examples of this would be fine, I think, but in the copy of the book that I reviewed, COVID-19 will come up something like 10 times. And I would really caution against relying on this to back up arguments about responding to climate change. That's because the two crises are fundamentally different. Responses to the pandemic are about surviving and coping till it's over, and getting back to normal as soon as possible. Compared to climate change, we are all reasonably hoping for a fairly punctual, simple and low-cost fix (a vaccine). But climate change is none of these. It requires changing the status quo, not repairing the status quo.

I thought this was thought-provoking and accessibly written. Although a grave picture is painted of the way we are living, how disconnected we are from nature and the future that is looming, this is a positive book too, in how it outlines the ways we might yet be able to change things for the better. It felt completely up to date, easy to follow and digest, with a lovely, storytelling tone - highly recommended!